A recent example featured two patrolling H&F officers coming across an attempted mugging in Harwood Road near Fulham Broadway at 11pm in late February. They immediately alerted our CCTV control room who were able to track the attackers fleeing the scene. The team guided police to their location, where they were arrested for robbery, assault and drunk driving charges.
It is incidents like this that highlight the indispensable value of H&F's CCTV investment. As Met Police Superintendent for Hammersmith & Fulham Craig Knight recently said:
Police and the local authority here in Hammersmith & Fulham are constantly working together to create and maintain safe and vibrant communities. CCTV is a vital part of that partnership. The value of the CCTV camera network cannot be overestimated."
We are currently upgrading CCTV infrastructure to improve and widen our coverage with a £5.4 million programme with 10 new CCTV cameras recently installed in our parks across the borough.
The solar-powered cameras are located in Wormholt Park (W12), Ravenscourt Park and Furnivall Gardens (W6), Hurlingham Park and Bishops Park (SW6) and will help make these green spaces even safer for park users.
They add to our unmatched surveillance network, with over 1,860 cameras overall, and will play a key role in preventing and fighting crime in Hammersmith & Fulham.
Since April 2023, footage from our cameras has helped the Met Police make 535 arrests and captured nearly 5,000 other crimes on video to support prosecutions for offences ranging from violent crime to fly-tipping.
It is also helping our 72-strong Law Enforcement Team win the war on local crime. Their support has helped cut the number of anti-social behaviour complaints from H&F residents to the police from 8,480 in 2021 to fewer than 6,800 in 2023.
Working hand-in-hand with police and residents, we will continue to ensure H&F remains a safe, secure place for all.
